Bead dispenser control



Sept. 17, 1946. D. H. CLARK BEAD DISPENSER CGNTROL ori inal Filed July 24, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR .Don Ji. Clark FTTYS Sept. 17, 1946. D. H. CLARK 2,407,628 BEAD DISPENSER CONTROL Original Filed July 24, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 13o): J.CZa rb Patented Sept. 17, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Donald H. Clark, Stockton, Calif.

Original application July 24, 1942, Serial No. 452,162. Divided and this application June 30. 1944, Serial No. 543,039

4 Claims.

This invention relates to bead dispensing devices for road-stripe painting machines, and is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 452,162, filed July 24, 1942 (issued as Patent No. 2,357,930, Sept. 12, 1944).

In connection with the stripe application or painting, glass beads are frequently applied on the stripes at intervals; the bead dispenser being mounted on the same machine as the paint applicator, in trailing relation thereto, the dispenser functioning automatically with the advance of the machine.

The dispenser includes wheels adapted for road engagementand whose rotation causes the dispenser to function, so that upon lifting of the wheels from the road, the bead dispensing operation ceases.

It is desirable that the timing of the bead dispensing (and which is controlled by wheel rotation) shall not be disturbed by raising of the dis.- penser and wheels, and which would occur. if the wheels continued to rotate.

It is therefore the major object of the present invention to provide a brake acting positively and automatically to prevent rotation of the wheels when they are lifted from the road. The dispenser, together with its Wheels, is adjustable laterally of the main frame of the striping machine, whereas the brake is of'necessity mounted on said main frame.

A further object of this invention is to mount the brake so that it may properly engage a wheel ing the bead dispenser, air lift cylinder, and brake unit.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the machine comprises a horizontal frame structure I supported at its rear end by a pair of pneumatictired wheels 2 and at the front end by a pair of steerable wheels 3. Steering of the latter is controlled from a steering wheel 4 mounted on the frame convenient to the operators seat 5, also mounted on the frame adjacent its rear end. The machineis not self-propelled, but is adapted to be pushed ahead by a vehicle attached to a rear end clevis 6 0n the machine, such vehicle,

irrespective 'of the lateral adjustment of the dispenser.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appea by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stripe painting machine as in operation, the conduits leading to the paint spray gun and bead dispenser cylinder being shown somewhat diagrammatic, and only those conduits which are essential to an understanding of the invention being shown.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan showing the mounting of the bead dispenser and its associated air lift cylinder and brake.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showas usual, having a paint supply and air compressing unit thereon.

A number of paint spray guns I are supported in fixed connection with the rear end of an arm unit 8 which extends forwardly to pivotal connection with the frame I, as at 9, so that the guns may give vertically andalso be lifted clear of the road; such lifting being effected by any suitable means, such as a lever and link mechanism, indicated at ID.

The guns are of a standard type commonly used in highway striping work, the feeding of the paint onto the road from each gun taking place only upon the opening of a needle valve II in the gun, and such needle valve is opened upon admission of compressed air from a conduit l2 leading to a cylinder l3 at the top of the gun, and to the piston rod of which gun the needle valve is connected.

Disposed between the wheels 2 rearwardly of the gun unit is a bead dispenser l3, also of standard type and supported on road-engaging wheels M, the rotation of which controls the dispensing of the beads in predetermined quantity. The dispenser is pivoted at its forward end in connection with the frame I, as at I5, so that it may be swung vertically and lifted clear of the ground; and such lifting is efiected by the admission of air pressure from a conduit Hi to an air cylinder I! hung on a frame-mounted crossbar l8 above the dispenser and whose piston rod I9 is connected to the dispenser at its rear end by means of a chain link [9a or the like, so that the dispenser is .free to yield vertically when engaged with the road.

The above type of road-striping machine and the general arrangement of parts, except for the dispenser lift device, is standard equipment, and I do not change the same. The flow of air to the cylinder I9, as well as to the paint gun, is automatically controlled by the means shown in said chain or similar drive 23, and the wheel itself is rotated, upon advance of the machine, by contact with a drum 24 fixed with the adjacent Wheel 2. The relative sizes of the drum, Wheel 22, and

H chain drive 23 are such that the valve is operated to alternately admit and release air to and from conduits l2 and it at predetermined intervals relative to the movement of the machine along the road. The conduits l2 and I6 are connected to the valve at such points relative to the direction of rotation of the rotor as to cause the bead dispenser to start operations (by being lowered upon the release of air from cylinder I1) a predetermined and proper time after the stripe painting is begun.

When the bead dispenser is raised, it is desirable that the timing of the bead dispensing,

which is controlled by rotation of the Wheels I4, shall not be disturbed. ,I therefore provide a flat brake strip 25 above one wheel [4 in position to be engaged thereby when the dispenser is lifted (see Fig. 3).' This strip is pivoted intermediate its ends on a horizontal axis, on a vertical stem 26 turnable in brackets 21 projecting from the adjacent portion of fram I. nially prevented from rotation by a releasable This stem is norholding pin 28 between the stem and a quadrant formed on the upper bracket 2'! (see Fig. 2). A tension spring 29 between the free end of the strip 25 and the stem resists upward movement of said strip. Rotation of th stem, which causes the brake strip to swing also, is necessitated by reason of the fact that the bead dispenser is, as usual, arranged for lateral adjustment on the machine to one side or the other of a normal central plane, as the lateral position of the stripe being painted may require. By th means above described the brake strip may be disposed directly above the Wheel M in operating relation thereto, regardless of the lateral position of the dispenser to one side or the other 'of its normal central plane.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the element.

4 present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus'described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a road striping machine, a bead dispenser including road engaging wheels, the rotation of one of which controls the bead dispensing operation, means mounting the dispenser for lateral adjustment and independent lifting movement to raise the wheels clear of the ground, means to thus lift the dispenser, and a brake element adapted to be maintained in relatively fixed position above said one wheel to engage the same upon lifting of the dispenser irrespective of the laterally adjustedposition of the dispenser.

2. In a road striping machine, a bead dispenser including road engaging Wheels, the rotation of one of which controls the bead dispensing operation, means mounting the dispenser for lateral adjustment and independent lifting movementto raise the wheels clear of the ground, means to thus lift the dispenser, a relatively fixed brake element disposed in a horizontal plane above the top of said Wheel when the latter is in a ground engaging position, and means mounting said element for lateral adjustment to dispose the same in the path of upward movement of said wheel for engagement thereby irrespective of the laterally adjusted position of thewheel.

3. A device as in claim 2, in which the brake element comprises a horizontally extending memher and said last named means includes a stem on which the member beyond the brake element is mounted, the stem being spaced'horizontally from the axial plane of the wheels, and means mounting the stem on the machine for adjustable rotation about a vertical axis.

4. In a road striping machine, a bead dispenser including road engaging wheels, the rotation of on of which controls the bead dispensing operation, means to lift the dispenser and wheels clear of the ground, a brake element above the wheel, a horizontal member rigid with and projecting from the element, a horizontal pivot mounting for said member supported from the machine, and a spring acting on the member to yieldably resist upward movement of the brake 

